---
layout: default
title: Specifications
ga: 40462488
---

    <div class="container">
      <br>
      <h1>Specifications</h1>
      <p>
JSON-LD has been designed to be a modular set of specifications. It consists of
two base specifications: The JSON-LD Syntax and the JSON-LD API. All other
JSON-LD specifications are layered upon the previous two specifications,
allowing the community to build experimental extensions on top of the base
specifications.
      <p>
      <div id="syntax">
      <h2><a href="latest/json-ld/">The JSON-LD Syntax</a></h2>
      <p>
Defines JSON-LD, a JSON-based format to serialize Linked Data. The syntax is
designed to easily integrate into deployed systems that already use JSON,
and provides a smooth upgrade path from JSON to JSON-LD. It is primarily
intended to be a way to use Linked Data in Web-based programming environments,
to build interoperable Web services, and to store Linked Data in JSON-based
storage engines.
      </p>
      <p>
Links to JSON-LD specifications: <a href="latest/json-ld/">Latest</a>
{%- for draft in specs['json-ld'] -%}
, <a href="{{ draft[1] }}">{{ draft[0] }}</a>
{%- endfor %}
{%- for draft in specs['json-ld-syntax'] -%}
, <a href="{{ draft[1] }}">{{ draft[0] }}</a>
{%- endfor -%}
               </div>
               <div id="api">
               <h2><a href="latest/json-ld-api/">The JSON-LD API</a></h2>
               <p>
An Application Programming Interface (API) and a set of algorithms for
programmatic transformations of JSON-LD documents. This API defines algorithms
for applying and removing JSON-LD contexts.
               </p>
               <p>
Links to JSON-LD API specifications: <a href="latest/json-ld-api/">Latest</a>
{%- for draft in specs['json-ld-api'] -%}
, <a href="{{ draft[1] }}">{{ draft[0] }}</a>
{%- endfor -%}
               </p>
               </div>
               <div id="best-practices">
               <h2><a href="https://w3c.github.io/json-ld-bp">JSON-LD Best Practices</a></h2>
               <p>
Best practices for publishing JSON-LD and building APIs.
               </p>
               <p>
Links to JSON-LD API specifications: <a href="https://w3c.github.io/json-ld-bp">Latest</a>
{%- for draft in specs['json-ld-api-best-practices'] -%}
, <a href="{{ draft[1] }}">{{ draft[0] }}</a>
{%- endfor -%}
               </p>
               </div>
               <div id="framing">
               <h2><a href="latest/json-ld-framing/">JSON-LD Framing</a></h2>
               <p>
JSON-LD Framing allows developers to perform <em>query by example</em>
and force a specific tree layout to a JSON-LD document. It allows developers
to restructure data retrieved from the Web according to the specific needs of
their application. Restructuring JSON-LD data before your application processes
it leads to simpler code when processing data from external sources.
               </p>
               <p>
Links to JSON-LD Framing specifications: <a href="latest/json-ld-framing/">Latest</a>
{%- for draft in specs['json-ld-framing'] -%}
, <a href="{{ draft[1] }}">{{ draft[0] }}</a>
{%- endfor -%}
               </p>

               </div>
               <h2><a href="latest/json-ld-rdf/">JSON-LD RDF API</a></h2>
               <p>
JSON-LD RDF API describes access methods for transforming and abstract RDF
represention into JSON-LD and back.
               </p>
               <p>
Links to JSON-LD RDF API specifications: <a href="latest/json-ld-rdf/">Latest</a>
{%- for draft in specs['json-ld-rdf'] -%}
, <a href="{{ draft[1] }}">{{ draft[0] }}</a>
{%- endfor -%}
      </p>

      <hr>
      <div id="footer">
        <p id="copyright">
         JSON-LD Specifications are covered by the <a href="https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/2015/doc-license">W3C DOCUMENT LICENSE</a> except where an alternate is specified.
        </p>
      </div>

    </div> <!-- /container -->
